Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-04-29
FOUND In A cave.
THE TREASURE HUNTERS RICH
DISCOVERY IN THE NORTH
CAROLINA MOUNTAINS.
From the New York sun.l

Virginia as the Treasure Hunter
and when l urged strong desire
to know how he came By his title,
he expressed his willingness to sit
down for a talk.
"To begin with,o he said, 81 am
a single man, and have no relatives
IN America. came from England
in 1872, and intended to buy land
and settle down in Greensboro,
North Carolina. AT Petersburg, |
Virginia, while en- route, I was
taken sick and robbed of my money, |
some $4,000, and when | reached
Greensboro I had only about $40
left. l was naturally broken mp !
and discouraged, and after a little
time | drifted into the mountain
range west Of Statesville, found a
comfortable cave in which to live,
and became q hunter.hermit. For
the first three months ! saw only
two human faces. became ac-
customed to this wild and solitary
lite, and entered the towns only
when driven to do so by want OF
provisions or ammunition.
at was one day in 1873 that |
encountered hunter in the moun'
tains who told me that | was re-
garded by the outside world as a
treasure hunter, aud that there
was much curiosity concerning my
movements. It had been reported
that | had found a box OF gold In
cave, and a score of men were
searching the ranges in the hopes
of meeting with luck. This was
the first time the idea Of treasurer
had crossed my mind. In my
rough jaunts l had discovered
several caves. but had not stopped
to explore any of them, as | had
not thought that they had ever
been occupied by man. When l
separated from the hunter, who sp'
peared to be a very honest man, L
sat down to wonder If it we're pos
sible for luck to come back to me
through some rich find, and though
when it first came up, l soon be.
came deeply interested, aud that
night | scarcely slept for speculat-
ing on what might turn up.
alright and early next morning
I was off up the range to the north
west, having as my objective point
a cave, which | had discovered
months before In the Iron noun
tains. southwest OF ofMorgantown. 1t
took me a day and a,half to reach
II. for it was in summer, and the
mountains we're covered with
plants, roots, and vines to obstruct
travel. The mouth of the cave
was under an oyerhanging ledge,
where had crept for shelter from
n fierce rain storm, and before
leaving the neighborhood | entered
it far enough to see that 1t was a
very roomy place, and that fires
had been built there at some time
by the hands of man. 1t seemed
10 me, as ! pursued my Journey
that this cave would be more likely
than any other to contain some
thing, but the nearer | came to 1
, the more ridiculous seemed the ldei
? of treasure. Refugees and desert
ers from the Confederate army NJ
. doubt sought the mountains fol
, hiding places, and after the wa
, they were infested by outlaws ant
q moonshiners. might possibl,
g find a rusty gun or knife, but
9 could hope for nothing more.
o 81 came to the spot about moo
J. on the second day, and to tell 80
,. the truth, l was quite disguste
with myself for being carried ava
as | had been. ! built fire, cool
, ed partridge bad shot, and mad
no move toward entering the cav
for a couple of hours. Then
i;orced myself against my bette
Judgment to prepare three or for
TO rches and light one and enter thf
pl.,ce. The opening was about 6
lar, 20 as a hogshead, but scarcel
had | gone ten feet when the cav
= beca me chamber. There was
4 pretty strong draught coming OF
# of it, proving that it had anoth'
@ openi ug, and the floor and side
8 were IS dry as bone. 1t was
good place for snakes and varmint
O and I proceeded very cautiousI
!. on that account. The firebrands
h had pre- yiously discovered had bee
!. undisturbed. The fire had bee
/, built Just at the entrance OF a ci
o cular chamber which must hay
"a been twenty-five feet across, an
I, the draught would take all Il
N smoke ont Of the mouth of the ca
a and scatter it among the thl'
n pines. found not only a IarI
10 heap OF ashes and charred brand
o but pile OF fagots which had be'
"a laid aside and never burned. Ne
se by we're a mouldy old haVersack,
to heap of mould representing wo'
Il en- blanket, an army belt, a rus
n. revolver, bayonet, q lot of bon
az of birds and animals, and a pair
ne boots which had become useless
the owner before he threw the
ok away.
an at was plain enough that o'
as laws, deserters or refugees b
Ia made this cave their hiding pla'
,r. and began to look TOR furtf